TOYS: Models to Mars

In his office at Convair in San Diego last
week, Space Age Planner Krafft A. Ehricke inspected the first 20-in.-long
model of Helios,* a chemical and nuclear spaceship he envisions for
interplanetary travel. For two hours Ehricke mused over his Helios with
three visitors, while he suggested minute changes in the model's
engine, then gave his O.K. for its production. A full-size prototype of
Ehricke's spaceship may be ten years and millions of dollars away. But
next year plastic model kits of Helios, ready to assemble, will be in
the hands of schoolboys around the world. Price: $1.98.